I Missed Wearing It
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: “Don” Jess called as loud as her sore body would allow. Don spun to look back at her. “I love you” She managed...It was an unfair fight...Flack/Angell...Part of "Little Moments Like That"
1. Unfair Fight

**A/N Another piece of " Little Moments Like That" Don't hate me!lol…I'm not really sure about this one, sorry it's so long! Also, I don't know if I edited out all of the mistakes! Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Danny skidded around the corner and saw it all. It was like it was in slow motion. He could hear the crack as Angell's skull hit the brick wall. Her body collapsed to the ground. Before Danny had the chance to choose between tending to Angell and chasing the man who put her in her current state, Hawks came speeding past him. The ME turned detective chased off after the suspect. Danny rushed to Angell's side. He could tell by her expression, she was trying to sort out what happened. She tried to get up.

"No, no sweetie, don't try to move" Danny coaxed her to stay still. Angell gave him a bewildered look, almost as if she didn't recognize him. He watched her brown eyes roll into the back of her head as she fought the need to pass out. "Angell!" Danny called, trying to keep her from going under. "Angell!" He cried again, it still wasn't working. "Jess!' He tried, gently taking her hand. Her eyes shot open and met his. He quickly radioed in the incident, to inform the rest of the team and get an ambulance on its way.

"Danny?" She croaked.

"Yeah Jess, it's me, you hit your head, you need to talk to me" Danny replied. For the first time he noticed her chest heaving. Her breaths were labored and seemed to pain her. Danny began to wonder if she might have a collapsed or punctured lung. He did a quick analysis of her body to make sure she didn't have a gunshot or knife wound he might have overlooked.

"Don?" Jess asked. Danny never knew one word could be loaded with so many questions.

"He's coming, honey" He assured her. Fear consumed her expression as she fought for every breath. A whimper escaped between pants. She started to pass out again. "Jess! You've got to talk to me. What did you and Don do this weekend?" Danny begged her to speak.

"Um, uh, the motorcycle" Jess tried to form a sentence.

"The motorcycle yeah? You took the bike out? Where did you go?" Danny knew it was hard for her to speak, but keeping her talking was the only way he knew if she was conscious.

"Upstate" She spit out.

"So you rode upstate. Did you drive or did Don?" Danny fired back with another question.

"We…" She stopped to take a large gulp of air. "We both did" She finished.

"That sounds like fun. What else did you do? Did you go out to dinner?" He continued.

"Don?" she asked, her expression changed and tears filled her eyes. He squeezed her hand.

"He's on his way" Danny calmed her. "So did you go out to dinner?" He asked again.

"No, Don, Don cooked" Jess answered. "Don?" She tried again.

"I'm right here baby" Don's voice interrupted their conversation as he hit his knees beside her. He grabbed the hand Danny wasn't holding. Just as she looked up at him, her eyes nearly slipped closed. "No Jess, honey, just hang in there a second longer" Don begged. Just then the paramedics swooped in. Panic overcame Jess. "Baby, just relax, they're going to take care of you. I'll be right back I promise. I just need to talk to Danny" Don soothed, slowly standing up.

"Don" Jess called as loud as her sore body would allow. Don spun to look back at her. "I love you" She managed.

"I love you too" He breathed, giving the paramedics access to her. "So Danny what happened?" Don asked as calmly as possible.

"It was an unfair fight, man. I mean the guy was two maybe three times her size. One strong shoulder to her chest and she was done for." Danny explained.

"So?" Don wondered, the situation still seemed somewhat unclear.

"There is no doubt she has a concussion. I heard the noise as her head hit the wall. I just don't know how bad it is. So, I did all I could to keep her awake. Though, I can tell you she's scared. I could see it in her eyes and I don't blame her. She's having trouble breathing. I don't know if she just got the wind knocked out of her or if it's something more serious." Danny continued.

"Well, uh, I'm going to get in the ambulance with my wife" He sputtered.

"Alright man, I'll catch up with ya later" Danny nodded as Don turned and walked away.

Once at the hospital, they look Jess away to examine her. Don nervously paced around the waiting room.

"Mr. Flack?" A nurse called. Don looked up and jogged to the nurse's side. "Jessica is doing fine. She does have a mild concussion and multiple cracked ribs. We would like to keep her overnight for observation." The lady informed him.

"Do you know why she was having trouble breathing?" Don questioned.

"She simply had the wind knocked out of her." The nurse explained.

"Can I see her?" He asked hopefully.

"Right this way" the nurse directed.

Jess looked up as her door opened. She smiled when she saw the familiar face of her husband.

"Hey" He said quietly.

"Hi" She replied softly"

"How are you feeling?" He inquired, approaching the bed.

"I'm a little sore, but ok" Jess answered. Don carefully sat down next to her, somewhat afraid to take her into his arms, knowing about her ribs.

"I can't stay very long, you need to get some rest and I need to go interview the guy who did this to you" He stated, stroking her cheek.

"Don't kill him, ok?" Jess joked.

"No promises" Don smiled. He felt the weight sitting in his chest lighten as he watched her smile.

"Are you coming back?" She wondered.

"When I get things squared away at work" He nodded. She winced as she readjusted in the bed. Don swallowed hard, not liking to see her hurt. "Alright, I gotta run. You take it easy, get some rest." He added, standing up. He bent down and kissed her lightly.

"Hurry back" She called to him as he walked out the door. He turned around and winked at her.


	2. Say No to Hospital Gowns

Flack walked into the observation room and stood next to Mac.

"How's Angell?" Mac asked.

"She's ok. Numerous cracked ribs and a concussion" Flack informed him.

"I think once you finish up today, take some personal time. Just until Angell gets back on her feet. I know her injuries aren't severe, but well, I really don't know where I'm going with this, but take some time" The older detective suggested. Flack breathed a light laugh.

"I was thinking about it anyway. Jess is going to want to be back at work tomorrow.  
I know if I'm home with her, she'll take it easy" He responded. "So did we get this guy?" He asked pointing through the two way mirror.

"Not for the murder, but he's up for assault of an officer" Mac answered. Flack nodded and excused himself.

Danny walked into the station to see if Flack was at his desk. Figuring he'd be at the hospital with his wife, it did surprise him to see his friend flipping through paperwork.

"Hey man" Danny said softly.

"Oh, hey Danny" Flack said looking up from his work.

"So I hear you took the bike upstate last weekend" Danny mentioned casually. Flack sent him a bewildered look, wondering where he got that information. "Then you made dinner" Danny continued with a laugh.

"Danny, where?" Flack inquired.

"Your wife told me" He began with a shrug. "The only way I know for sure if she was conscious was if she was talking so I asked her questions. I didn't want her passing out if she had a concussion" Danny explained.

"Danny, I uh, I want to thank you for today. I owe you one" Flack stumbled through his words.

"I wasn't going to let anything happen to my best friend's girl" Danny replied simply. Flack smiled, Danny was a good friend. "so how is she?" Danny questioned quietly.

"Sore, and from the sounds of it, will be that way for awhile. You were right; she does have a concussion along with some cracked ribs. Luckily, there was nothing wrong with her lungs; she just couldn't catch her breath." Flack disclosed.

"Well, I'm glad she's ok." Danny commented. "Well, I got to get home, Lindsay said she's making dinner" He laughed.

"Have fun, I'm just going to finish up here and head to the hospital." Flack exhaled, organizing the folders in front of him. Danny headed towards the door.

"Don?" He said looking back Flack looked up at him. "Let's just say we're even, for, ya know" Danny stated, not really wanting to bring up Rikki Sandoval. Flack nodded and finished getting his things together.

Jess opened her eyes, the room was dark. She looked to the window and noticed the sun had nearly fallen out of the sky. She squinted at the clock across the room, quickly regretting the action as it made her head hurt. A heavy sigh escaped form her lips.

"That doesn't sound good" Don mentioned as he entered the room.

"Hey!" Jess squeaked.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?" he asked curiously.

"I'm ok, can't see that clock over there, but I'm good" She laughed.

"Well, now I'm here and I can tell you what time it is anytime you want" He offered.

"I knew I kept you around for something." Jess joked. She smiled as her husband's laugh filled the room.

"Oh! And I brought you something, I mean if you want it" Don remembered, approaching the bed and kissing her.

"what ya got?" Jess questioned eagerly.

"First up, I have your sweats from home. That's kind of for me, I really don't like seeing you in a hospital gown, it kind of freaks me out" He admitted.

"Hey I'm all for not having to wear one, good job, what else?" She replied.

"Dinner, if your up for eating" Don offered. He watched as his wife's eyes lit up.

"What kind of dinner?" Jess wondered.

"Only your favorite deli sandwich, just how you like it" He said with a smile, producing the sandwich from the bag he was holding. She took it greedily. "First, you change" He instructed. Jess shrugged and nodded slightly. She slowly slid to the edge of the bed, being a little sorer that she remembered. Don looked away momentarily, trying to hide his clouded expression.

"Uh Don, would you mind helping me? I'm not exactly sure I want to bend like that" Jess asked sheepishly. He turned back towards her, shaking his head to clear up his expression.

"Sure" He choked. His wife noticed his guarded expression and the water taking up residence in his blue eyes, she said nothing. Don grabbed the sweatpants and knelt in front of her. He carefully maneuvered the article of clothing over her bare feet and pulled them up her tanned legs. Once he got them up as far as they would go with her sitting. Don took his Jess's hands a helped her to her feet. She set her hands on his forearms to steady herself. Ripples of pain ran through her body as a repercussion from the movement. Don pretended to not hear the hitch in her breath. He turned his attention back to the pants and finished getting them on her. His heart raced just a little as he felt her warm breath dance across his chest through the fabric of his shirt. He smiled as he straightened up and met her eyes. Jess reached up and undid his tie. Don wrapped his fingers around her wrists and set her arms at her sides. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her slowly. He reached around and undid the strings holding the hospital gown on her body. Reacting to the looseness of the garment, Jess set a hand on her sternum to keep from being completely exposed for longer than necessary. Her husband picked up the worn YMCA t-shirt from behind her and gently guided it over her head. She let the gown fall to the floor. Don caught a glimpse of the purple bruises splashed across her ribcage as she adjusted the shirt. A smile graced her features when she realized she was wearing one of the old shirts his mother had given her.

"Thank you" She whispered placing herself back on the bed. Unfortunately she couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped. Don's head whipped in her direction. He fought an internal battle, he wanted to help her every step of the way but he also didn't want to crowd her and come off as overprotective. Don turned from her again, taking off his suit jacket and tie to form an excuse for his action. "Let's eat" Jess called for his attention. He looked back at her and was met with a brilliant smile. He calmed himself and sat in the chair next to the bed.

Jess was nearly halfway through her sandwich as Don rambled on about a range of random topics. She had a feeling he was avoiding something, but she was really confused by his behavior. She figured he would have freaked out by now. Of course she noticed him fighting it off, but him holding back really surprised her, that wasn't like him.

"Don" She stopped him. His words trialed off and his expression shifted into confusion. He swallowed the bite of food he still had in his mouth. Jess didn't really know how to phrase her questions, so she put it best she could. "Are you really handling this, this well or are you putting on a front?" She spit out. The bluntness of her question almost stung, he took another bite to buy him some time. Jess reached out and took the sandwich from him. Don sighed. "That's what I thought" Jess concluded. This peaked Don's interest.

"What? What is what you thought?" his voice broke slightly as she tried to make sense of what she said.

"You're just putting on a front. Honey, I'd rather you just be upset" She said with a slight edge to her tone. Don sent her a look of disbelief. He set a hand on his face. "Talk to me" Jess begged.

"I'm not putting on a front. Not really. I mean I'm really fighting with myself here" He disclosed. He stood up and approached the bed. He stopped suddenly and awkwardly toyed with his shirt.

"What?" She was confused.

"Well, I don't know how close I can get to you without hurting you" He admitted with a defeated sigh. For some reason his statement made Jess smile. She scooted over on the bed and patted the mattress. Don carefully climbed up next to her.

"I'll let you know if you hurt me" She promised as she leaned up against him. He took a chance and set his arm around her shoulders. Jess reached out and took the other hand in hers. "Now, keep talking" She prodded.

"Ok, well like I said, I'm confused. I mean I'm not happy you got hurt. It really bothers me, but also I know it could have been much worse. You could have been shot or stabbed and weren't. Then knowing Danny was there and knowing how he took care of you, that puts me at ease too. I also don't want you to think I'm over protective or crowding you. It's like just when I convince myself I'm alright, I watch you wince and it all goes out the window" Don tried to explain himself. Jess nodded slowly. She sought out his lips and gave him a reassuring kiss.

"Did you talk to Danny?" She wondered.

"Yeah, I saw him before I left the station. I thanked him" He replied. Jess handed him back his sandwich and they finished their dinner. After the meal, they clicked on the TV for some mindless entertainment.

"You're going home tonight" Jess broke their comfortable silence during a commercial break. Don met her eyes. He could see her playful demanding nature dancing in her dark orbs. He opened his mouth to protest. "I'm serious, you're not staying here" She said with a light laugh.

"But why? I want to! I don't remember what it's like to sleep without you." He whined.

"Because you need to get some sleep." Jess stated.

"I can sleep here, I promise." Don pleaded. His wife laughed.

"No honey, you can't. You are 6' 2". I think if you even tried to sleep in that chair, the chair would laugh at you" she expressed. She smiled when she heard him finally laugh again.

"Well, I won't sleep at home, all alone" he pointed out.

"At least here, you'll get a fighting chance" Jess countered.

"Fine" Her husband caved. He leaned over and kissed her.

"This way, I get a chance to heal enough so when we do get to share a bed together, you won't be worried about hurting me." She added. Don smiled.

When the show ended, Don stood up and readied himself to leave. Jess was nearly asleep since she had last dose of pain meds. She lazily looked at him, part of her wishing he wasn't going, but knowing it was for the best. Don suddenly had and idea. He made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. He slid it off and set it next to Jess.

"Goodnight baby" He whispered, kissing her softly. She buried her face in his shirt.

"Goodnight, love you" She mumbled, consciousness quickly leaving her.

"Love you too" he breathed


	3. Not On an Empty Stomach

The next morning, Don waltzed into the hospital room. His eyes were bright and he looked comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans.

"Well, you look like you had a good night." Jess commented.

"No, I'm just having a good morning; I just signed a bunch of papers that said I get to take you home." He replied. She clapped excitedly. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Pretty good, but I just had some meds" She answered.

"Well, do you want to change before we get out of here or just wait until we get home?" He wondered.

"Just get me outta here!" Jess laughed. Don nodded and helped her from the bed. She slipped into her shoes and took his hand. "Do you know where my things are? Like my gun, badge and phone?" She inquired curiously.

"They're in the car" He assured her. "I'm glad you're going home, I was kinda hoping you wouldn't be in the hospital until we had kids" he mentioned lightheartedly.

Don spent most of his day trying to keep Jess from strenuous activity.  
it was a nearly impossible feat. Finally they were settled down in bed watching the news. A sly grin crossed Jess's face as she let a hand find the crotch of his shorts under the covers.

"Jess" He hissed, reacting to her touch.

"What Don? You don't like that?" She asked innocently.

"No, I do like it, that's the problem" He replied with a laugh.

"Why is it such a problem?" She wondered.

"Jess, you know we can't do anything, you're injured. I don't think you have a rib that's not cracked. I would hurt you" Don reminded her. She huffed and pouted. Don laughed lightly. She reached out and tried again. "Jess!" He called her on it. She giggled and rolled over to fall asleep.

A noise woke Don. He had been sleeping on eggshells since it was her first night at home. It wasn't the first time he had woken up that night but this time it seemed different. He rolled over the find Jess sobbing heavily. She was turned away from him. He leaned over and could see she had one hand over her eyes and the other grabbing the back of her head.

"Honey, what's wrong?" He gasped.

"It hurts" she sobbed.

"Ok, did you take something?" He wondered.

"Hurts too bad to move" Jess mumbled. Don kissed her forehead and climbed out of bed. He padded into the kitchen for a glass of water then retrieved her pain pills.

"Here baby" He said softly. Jess moved slightly to take the stuff from him. He climbed back in bed beside her and took her in his arms. Don slowly coaxed her back to sleep as the medicine kicked in.

The next morning, Jess opened her eyes to find herself wrapped in Don's arms. A slow throbbing in her skull was becoming increasingly worse and her ribs ached. She felt his blue eyes burning into her. Her eyes met his. It looked as if he's been up all night. Worry and sadness laced his expression.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was quite and gentle.

"I, uh, I hurt" She just decided to be honest with him. Each word made her head hurt more. Don squinted to check the clock.

"You can have some more meds now but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it on an empty stomach. " He mentioned.

"I want them" She begged. He sighed and obliged.

"Well, I'm going to go make some breakfast, so then you can have something to eat right after" Don stated with a bit of a waver in his voice. Jess nodded as she downed two more pills.

As Don poured glasses of juice, he heard activity from the bedroom. He turned down the hall to find out what was going on. As he entered the bedroom he could hear Jess throwing up in the bathroom. He walked in and wet a wash cloth.

"I knew that wasn't a good idea" He said under his breath. He knelt down next to her and held her hair back. "Jessie, I know the last thing you want to think about right now is eating, but you need to have something so you can take your pain medicine." Don whispered. She sat back and wrapped her arms around herself. Her ribcage stung from the rigorous activity. Her husband helped her to her feet and let her brush her teeth. "Pain meds don't like an empty stomach." He reinforced as he met her eyes in the mirror. Jess nodded. Don got her some food, made sure she took more pills to replace the ones she threw up, then helped her into bed.

Hours later, don heard the house phone ring. He reached over to the side table next to the couch he was sitting on and grabbed the object making the offending noise.

"Hey Flack, it's Lindsay, how's Angell?" The young detective asked when he answered the phone.

"She's been better, she's sleeping now. We had a rough night. She threw up this morning" Don informed her on a sigh.

"Is she pregnant?" Lindsay was confused.

"No" He shot back quickly. "She was hurting and took the meds on an empty stomach" He explained.

"So she's in pain?" Lindsay checked.

"Yeah, she was doing ok most of the day yesterday, but I think her being up and around more than she should have been made things worse. Her head is bothering her the most." Don answered.

"I'd believe it, I heard the noise it made" He heard Danny say in the background. He breathed a light laugh at his comment.

"Well, I hope she gets to feeling better. Have her call me when she does." Lindsay finished.

"I sure will" Don promised and hung up. He walked into the bedroom to check on his wife. It appeared she was still sleeping peacefully.

"Donnie, come back to bed. You're exhausted. I know you didn't sleep last night. Plus your constant checking in on me makes it hard to sleep" He heard her mumble. A smile crawled across his face as he decided to join her.


	4. I Missed It

By the next week Jess was feeling ready to get back to work. She had about enough of sitting around the apartment, even if she did get to spend a few days with Don. Don allowed her back at work as long as she promised to not chase suspects while out in the field and take it easy if she got sore.

Don walked back towards his desk after he finished and interview. He watched his wife walk into the station. He approached her and kissed her softly.

"It's good to see you wearing a badge again. I missed it" He commented.

"I missed wearing it" she said with a sweet smile.

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**A/N There will be a companion piece to this in the VERY near future...I have most of it done...but anyway...hope you enjoyed it! Also sorry this chapter is SO short!**


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